Every election presents a strategic opportunity to push environmental issues onto the agenda, engage candidates and mobilize the environmental vote. The 2018 municipal election featured our largest candidate engagement effort to date (30 candidates), massive candidate engagement in our all-candidates’ survey (over 80 responses), four environmental debates in all corners of the city (with 500 participants), and mobilization of thousands of environmentally-minded voters on election day.

The result? This council is much greener than the last one. Most elected councillors are committed to advancing on key environmental issues. While there will surely be challenges, the stage is set for meaningful improvements across a range of environmental issues in 2019.

#2: Making huge headway on green infrastructure and trees

As cities wrestle with climate impacts like heat waves and flooding, more and more are turning to a powerful solution: green infrastructure, the living and built systems that slow down, soak up and filter water where it falls. In 2018, Ecology Ottawa issued a report on the state of green infrastructure in Ottawa, attracted media attention with our push for a green roofs bylaw and launched a door-to-door outreach program. Meanwhile, we continued our efforts to revitalize Ottawa with trees – a vital ingredient in green infrastructure solutions. With the help of dozens of volunteers, 9,000 trees entered the hands of Ottawa residents city-wide.

Stay tuned for more exciting work on green infrastructure next year, as well as our largest-ever tree campaign effort to date.

#3: Keeping climate change accountability on the agenda

In June, the provincial election produced a new government promising to change course on climate action. The province’s new approach to climate change has been alarming. The dismantling of cap-and-trade threatens to derail the city’s climate progress by cutting projects like housing retrofits and new infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.

In November, the city released new emissions data. While the city is making some progress, its slow pace and lack of policy ambition point to a need for ongoing vigilance and public engagement in the years ahead.

In 2019, we will continue to put climate change front and centre in the public conversation, and to get results for our city. We can only do this with people power. Stay tuned for steps on how you can drive climate results in Ottawa starting in January.

Obviously, there’s a lot more work to do. We will succeed by mobilizing thousands of Ottawans from all corners of our great city.Your donations power changeat city hall and build a greener city and planet. Thank you for your ongoing support, and your ongoing commitment to making Ottawa an incredible place to call home.

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